OBJECTIVETo investigate the correlations between electrogastrogram (EGG) and gastric emptying (GE) in children with functional dyspepsia (FD).

METHODSA total of 51 children with FD and 25 healthy children as control were enrolled into this study. Polygraph ID 4-channel EGG analysis system was used for EGG recording and gastric emptying of solids was studied by using a standardized egg meal labeled with (99m)Technetium sulfur colloid for each subject.

RESULTS(1) Compared with the control group, the percentage of normal slow wave (N%) in the FD group was significantly lower than that of the control group (P < 0.01). Children with FD had higher rates of abnormal EGG, in which 32 cases showed mixed dysrhythmia preprandial and postprandial recordings (62.7%). (2) The two groups had significant difference in ratio of the percentage of preprandial dominant power (DP) to postprandial DP (P < 0.05), it showed that the postprandial DP of the FD group did not increase. (3) The postprandial dominant power instability coefficient (DPIC) as well as preprandial DPIC and dominant frequency instability coefficient (DFIC) in the FD group were increased. The coupling of the slow wave of preprandial and postprandial EGG in the FD group (26.95 +/- 13.69, 26.93 +/- 12.63 respectively) significantly decreased as compared with those in the control group (69.02 +/- 5.15, 70.18 +/- 4.68, P < 0.01). (4) The rate of delayed gastric emptying in the FD group was 23.5%. The results of multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that there was a significant negative correlation between the delayed gastric emptying and the coupling of the slow wave (partial regression coefficient = -0.513, -0.296 respectively).

CONCLUSIONSPatients with FD had more abnormal findings in EGG than the control group did, and there was a significant negative correlation between the delayed gastric emptying and the coupled response of the slow wave. The abnormal gastric electrical activity may have certain significance in pathogenesis of FD.